“Problems related to marinas and boating and our Great Lakes eco system are sometimes things that people don’t often think about,” says LaPorte. “Problems like oil pollution and run off require looking at the marina infrastructure itself.”

Michigan Sea Grant is leading a regional grant effort, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, to improve and promote greater participation in existing Clean Marina programs in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes region. Expanding the web-based training tool developed by Michigan Sea Grant, is a primary focus of this new regional effort.

“The certification program allows the marina to have control of the pace,” says LaPorte. “Therefore, it can happen fairly quickly for marinas, or it can take anywhere from six months to a year depending on organization and efforts.”

To date, more than 75 Michigan marinas are participating and 40 have achieved Michigan Clean Marina certification, reducing the overall environmental impact on the Michigan's coastal areas and connecting waterways.

“We need a uniform standard of best practices throughout the Great Lakes region to ensure that protecting our water is consistent from state to state.”